Hi! My name is Ines Cook

I’m a mother and I have 2 little girls, Lila Maria Cook who is 3 years old, and Lily Marina Cook who is on her way with 25 weeks pregnant!

The last few weeks had been unreal for us, Lily was diagnosed with open spina bifida (myelomeningocele) which we didn’t know at first how to react to it. For the ones that are mothers might understand the rollercoaster and mixed feelings I experienced. At first, I was mad, sad, and helpless and I even felt guilty.

The days have passed and I have been learning more about the diagnosis... I truly believe in God's plan for her life and we are prioritizing her health, having a positive mindset, and encouraging everyone around us to do it. Also, we need to be strong for our 3-year-old girl that is looking forward to holding her sister.

By having the mindset of looking for the best options for Lily and how we can make things better for her, we were informed about "Fetal Surgery" and we are happy to announce that we are eligible for the procedure after several tests and exams we needed to perform due to the risks involved in the surgery.

We are thankful to God since not everyone is capable of performing this procedure and it is not the best option for all circumstances but in our case, this is the best one and we are doing everything to make it happen. Hopefully, we will see this later on and be sure it was the best decision because we trust our Lord and savior to take care of it by having great doctors that are looking forward to helping others and in this case, will be for us.

Due to this, I quit my job and we trust everything will be fine since God will take care of us but I will have the surgery, then move to another hospital for rehabilitation and which will take around 2 weeks after that, I will be in bed for 3 months until Lily is born on April 29th. After that, depending on her condition and mine, we will take full maternity leave and more weeks if the doctors need more time. Therefore, in the best-case scenario, I won't be able to work for 6 months.

My husband and I split the bills and will definitely impact us but we will still prioritize our daughter's health. God will provide our needs as he promised.

We wanted to share our story because we know other families are going through difficult situations and as parents, we will do our best for our kids and also, for you to know that you are not alone.

Everything in life comes back! And if you are a blessing to others, multiple blessings will come your way! I can promise that.

For the ones that can help us, we will be more than thankful for you and the support you can give us.